Dr Andrew Buist

After standing down last year following 11 years at the GPC to concentrate on Scottish issues, the deputy chair of the Scottish GPC has had a taxing 12 months. But GPs in Scotland are lucky to have a ‘skilled GP negotiator and tactician’ on their side, as one nominator put it.

Dr Buist has spent the past eight months on an epic tour of Scotland, visiting every health board and LMC in the country to discuss the development of Scottish general practice. From aspiring to stabilise the partnership model to boosting GP recruitment in order to reduce workload, Dr Buist has tirelessly fought for a better deal for Scottish GPs.

Over the year, the GP from Blairgowrie in Perthshire has publicised the results of a survey of GP vacancies in Scotland, which revealed that 17% of Scottish practices have an unfilled vacancy. He is still leading on the process of monitoring GP vacancies across Scotland.

Elsewhere, Dr Buist gave evidence on deprivation in primary care to the Scottish Parliament Health Committee on behalf of the BMA last year. He says he thinks he ‘changed the emphasis of the meeting to concern for the whole of Scottish general practice’ by pointing out that almost all practices – not just those working in deprived areas – would be hit by the workforce crisis in the profession.